Books & ideas

France and Its Religions

Thibaut Héry — 2026-11-05T08:31:00Z

The French government's approach to religious pluralism cannot be easily summarized, given its diversity and complexity, as well as its dependence on the contingencies of politics.

Japan's Postwar Transformation

Éric Seizelet — 2026-11-03T08:10:44Z

To mark the 80^th anniversary of the end of the war in East Asia, a nuanced assessment of the American occupation of Japan (1945–1952) and its lasting impact on contemporary Japanese society is now available in French for the first time.

Can We Still Trust Images?

Jules Naudet — 2026-10-30T08:30:00Z

Sandra Ristovska examines how images shape judicial reasoning and the new uncertainties introduced by AI and deepfakes. These technologies amplify longstanding problems of evidence, interpretation, and inequality before the law.

A Linguistic Archaeology of Stigma

Samantha Pratali — 2026-10-29T07:30:00Z

By tracing the history of the French word pute (whore), since the twelfth century, Dominique Lagorgette reveals the mechanisms of linguistic oppression at work in our societies.

Orléans: A forgotten revolutionary history

Fabien Salducci — 2026-10-27T08:19:50Z

A longstanding local historiographical tradition maintains that during the French Revolution, the politics of the city of Orléans were notable for their moderation. Yet this view ignores the presence of highly politicized factions, extending well beyond the revolutionary period.

Rights by Force of Arms

Maria Gabriela Dascalakis-Labreze — 2026-10-22T06:48:45Z

Can the defense of human rights be reconciled with guerilla warfare? David Copello offers an in-depth reinterpretation of the history of these complex struggles that have shaken Argentine society to its core.

Contemporary Confucian Capitalism

Bernard Thomann — 2026-10-20T07:15:00Z

At a time when Chinese capitalism is in search of an ethic, entrepreneurs are reinventing the old Confucian merchant.

Dismantling the welfare state

Chloé Gaboriaux — 2026-10-15T09:37:20Z

What effects have economic rationalization had on public services? Nadège Vezinat presents a nuanced picture of how institutional dynamics weaken the welfare state's bureaucracy, agents, and the rights of beneficiaries.

Capitalism's stormy waters

David Todd — 2026-10-13T07:11:58Z

According to Arnaud Orain, capitalism, with the exception of a few historical periods when free markets prevailed, has primarily been characterized by mercantilism, or “capitalism of finitude,” which pits against one another the ambitions of nation-states that seek to escape competition by imposing their hegemony through force.

The many roles of women in medieval music

Anne-Zoé Rillon-Marne — 2026-10-08T08:00:01Z

During the Middle Ages, women didn't just listen to music. They sang, composed, copied, and transmitted it. Behind the silence of the sources, there exits, from cloisters to courts, a form of musical life that remains largely unknown. A new book brings to life these flourishing musical practices.